Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The Supreme Court is not expected to hear the Mhadei river diversion issue on February 6, which is yet another blow to Goa. The important issue wasn’t even included in the additional cause list until Monday, which further increased the ambiguity.
Officials were hopeful that the case would be listed after it was excluded from the Apex Court’s main list on Saturday, February 1, according to government sources. Authorities are now depending on Tuesday’s cause list, meanwhile, as Monday’s additional list also made no mention of it.
A hearing on the legal dispute between Goa, Karnataka, and Maharashtra regarding the Mhadei River’s diversion was initially planned for January 23. But the Supreme Court postponed it until January 30.
The three riparian states’ special leave petitions and Goa’s contempt pleas against Karnataka are currently being heard by the Apex Court. The final significant hearing in this protracted court dispute was held in July 2023, but it was postponed until November 2023 and then postponed once more without any further action.
According to reports, since November 2023, about 14 counsel from Goa have been traveling once a week for the Mhadei case. A number of advocates from Delhi and Mumbai have also been joined, increasing the total to almost 20 advocates.
According to a Goan article from last year, the State exchequer must pay a staggering Rs 83,000 to Rs 1 lakh per day for the two expensive Mumbai-based attorneys, while the local team of lawyers travel to Delhi on a minimal budget.
